Stupid passwd tricks: User with blank GECOS can't change passwd

[IO ERROR <error error net>]

I have discovered that a user who has a blank GECOS field in the passwd file
under RedHat 4.0 (Colgate) is unable to change passwords.  Running the passwd
command goes like this: 
 
[user host user]$ passwd
Password: [entry of old passwd]
New password: [entry of new passwd]
[user host user]$ echo $!
1
[user host user]$

Setting the name field in the GECOS seems to solve this problem.


[mod: While trying to reproduce this, I found different ways that
"passwd" could run into trouble. On MY Red Hat 4.0 system it does
"segmentation fault" when I have no GECOS field. My "test" user
couldn't authenticate himself, right after I chaged the passwd
to a "known" value while I was root. 

[root adder ~]$ passwd test
New password: 
New password (again): 
Password changed
passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully
[root adder ~]$ su - test
[test adder test]$ passwd
Password: 
Password: 
Password: 
passwd: Authentication failure
[test adder test]$ 

and 
[wolff adder ~]$ passwd
Password: 
New password: 
Segmentation fault
[wolff adder ~]$

-- REW]

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Michael Hampton      Crossroads Communications            System Administrator
error error net      318 E Burlington, Iowa City, IA 52240      (319) 354-6614